- A couple years later, at 13, Ben still loves boats!
Ben enjoyed a new reading milestone for himself this month. For years, we cherished Arthur Ransome’s Swallows & Amazons books, always reading them aloud together. They’re full of exciting adventures and wonderful characters. In the past, Ben didn’t want to read them to himself because he was overwhelmed by the small print, lengthy chapters, and complex sentence structure.
For the first time this month, however, at age eleven, Ben has chosen to read one of these books on his own. We had just started reading aloud the 11th book in the series, The Picts & the Martyrs, but after we read the first few chapters together, Ben just kept reading it on his own. He took it to bed for some late night reading, enjoyed it while eating breakfast at the dining room table, and brought it along for reading in the car as well. I’ve read maybe a chapter of it with him during the week, but mostly he’s read it on his own, summarizing the details for me so I can keep up with the storyline.
I love that we have these books to share together, and I love watching Ben’s confidence grow as an independent reader.
Subscribe in a reader
I am loving your blog Marcia, thanks for sharing your journey! I have to also thank you for the Swallows & Amazons book recommendation you gave me as my 6 yo loves it & is always asking me to read it!! We are on book 2 now and my 4 yo is also into the characters & adventures.
Thanks for reading, Heather! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the Swallows and Amazons books. They’re such sweet adventure stories. Ben was always a bit like Roger when younger, and now a bit like John. Of course, we’ve always enjoyed our chocolate rations!
Marcia, I have always found you to be such a source of inspiration and a fountain of knowledge. I am so excited to have this new resource as I dive deeper into my learning and living adventures with my son. Well done! and thank you!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Juliana. I’m glad to be able to share these resources with you as you continue on your grand adventure!